Beam Me Up

Ok I actually thought of several different titles for this post.  Other options included "Ode to Iodine" or "My Week in the Car" or something stupid like that.

Yesterday was my date with my radioactive iodine dose.  Tomorrow morning I go in for my scan and blood test.  Prayers and good thoughts are needed since I really REALLY REALLY don't want there to be anything weird on that scan or blood test.

Ugh.

It has been interesting week, to say the least.  Especially since Phil has been gone so I've been having to take care of the dogs and myself (which isn't a big deal but usually Phil helps A LOT with the dogs... and me who am I kidding).  But I have figured that getting shots in the butt really isn't too big of a deal.  And that is probably a good thing since I am hoping to do some fertility treatments which could very possibly involve multiple shots in the hip.

However, that nice little pregnancy test blood draw is turning into quite the lovely raised bruise.  Probably because he used an actual syringe to suck the blood out.  I've never had that done before.  By the time I get done tomorrow, I will have had 5 pokes in 5 days (3 different blood draws, 2 shots).  I am a human pin cushion.

Also, I am too young to be dealing with this crap.  For example, when I was waiting at the hospital yesterday  for my pregnancy test results (thanks for adding insult to injury hospital.  I could have told you I wasn't pregnant without the $50 blood test that my insurance won't cover even though it was required) before my dose, I took a look around.  I was the only person under 60 in the waiting room.  That's because people in their 20's aren't supposed to have to do this crap.  Hopefully this is my last one.

Secretly I am hoping that this little dose of radioactive iodine will finally give me a super power.  Totally likely, right?

And since I am trying to do my best to stay calm and not freak out, here is another picture from the beach:

I get to go back to eating normally on Saturday.  :)  2 more days!!

Scan Results

There's a long and annoying story about how I got my scan results.  Let's just say it involved me going to the doctor's office at the end of the day and standing there until I got my results.

It worked.  I got to see my doctor. 

I walked into the exam room and she said:

"Good news!  No metastatic disease!"

YAY!!

The doctor was sick Monday and Tuesday morning (of course).  I had called this morning and the nurse said he would call me this afternoon.  Then he didn't.  I had had a tension headache for like 5 days and was about ready to blow, I was so tense from waiting.

Thankfully, the nurses and staff at the endo's office are nice and very understanding.  They even said I was one of their favorite annoying patients.  Don't worry they said it in a nice way.

They were all pretty happy for me that the scan results were good.  We had a nice moment.  One that would have been missed had they just called me back.

The good news hasn't really sunk in for me yet and I'm not sure why.  I think I am having a hard time accepting good news these days.  It will hit me eventually.  Next steps will include getting my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) levels nice and suppressed (around 0.5).  In 6 months I will have a ultrasound and thyroglubin levels checked.  And another scan done next year.

In the meantime, I would like to thank all of you for your kind words, thoughts and prayers.  They were definitely answered and I am very grateful for all of them and all of you.  Whenever you hear the word "cancer" one of the first thoughts that crosses your mind is whether or not it has spread.  This is the part I was the most scared about (which is hard to believe because I was pretty freaked out by the first surgery).  I'm not sure how I would have gotten through everything if it weren't for my family, real-life friends, and my blog friends.  :)

Ok... it is really starting to sink in now.  Kind of want to cry now.

{image found HERE}

Scanning

My whole body scan was this morning.  As I mentioned yesterday, I am REALLY nervous about it.  I was not nervous for the actual scan part.  They use the iodine they dosed me with last week as the contrast and I just laid on a table for an hour and a half, real still (while listening to a movie on my phone).  I am just really ready to find out that my cancer hasn't spread.  That's kind of a duh statement, but whatever.

My go-to outfit when I am nervous/anxious/exhausted/upset is fleece pants.  Fleece pants with a zip up sweatshirt, thermal shirt, and slippers.  But I decided I would shake things up a bit.  Show cancer that I'm the boss and that even if I have to do scary stuff like get a scan, I am not going to do it lying down.  Well, I was lying down for the scan, but you know what I mean.  Metaphorically speaking.

So here's the uniform:

- New Toms
- Skinny jeans
- Orange and White striped tunic
- Comfy sweater (for warmth)
- Hair done
- Full make-up

AND... most importantly...

{Not the best picture.  My hair looked better before the scan.  Laying down for an hour and a half can really mess up a girl's coif.}

Red Lipstick

I'm not sure if you can tell from the second picture, but I am exhausted.  Between having to get up early fro the scan, feeling horrible, and now waiting for results, my mind isn't super focused.  I'm really not sure why I am trying to work this afternoon.  But I will give it an honest effort.

I need to not get freaked out by every mention of cancer that I hear now.  Since I have been back at work today, I have heard 2 references to cancer (one real, one fiction) and both times the person died (real life from cancer, fictional character from a broken water main).  Seeing how both types of cancer are NOT the kind I have (testicular and leukemia, respectively) it shouldn't bother me, but I am little extra sensitive these days. 

I warned my husband to expect extra freak-outs.  He's thrilled.